Hope and Disappointment in the Midst of God’s Call

The Midwest Faculty Conference 2019 will wrestle with real questions surrounding God’s call in our lives – everything from His presence in our daily tasks to broader vocational discernment. In plenary sessions, faculty panels, and a variety of seminars, we will consider the breadth of our life experiences – including success & failure, hope & disappointment, scarcity & abundance. We will also explore what it means to work out our sense of God’s call in a diverse and often complex context, casting a hopeful, Christ centered vision of flourishing within higher education and beyond.

Register Now  

The 2019 InterVarsity Midwest Faculty Conference will take place June 15-21, at InterVarsity’s Cedar Campus(link is external). We look forward to seeing you there!

Welcoming Faculty, Families, Singles and Couples

Faculty of all ages and life stages are invited to join us for what promises to be an encouraging and thought-provoking week! As a “family friendly” conference, our content is designed to connect with faculty, spouses, singles, and couples.  Christ-centered programming and recreation is also provided for children. It is our prayer that everyone will leave the week refreshed and prepared to faithfully navigate Hope and Disappointment in the Midst of God’s Call! Meet the 2019 Keynote Speakers, Robert and Erica Romero through a video on the Program page.

What is meaningful to you about the Midwest Faculty Conference? That’s just what we asked Dr. Woodall- Schauffler & Ryan Schauffler in the video below. Last year was their first year attending and, this year, we’re excited to have them return and serve as emcees for the week!

Conference Location: InterVarsity’s Cedar Campus

With 500 acres and six miles of beautiful Lake Huron shoreline, Cedar Campus(link is external) provides many opportunities for recreation- including kayaking, swimming, hiking, and more.  Located in the wilderness of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and only 45 min from the Mackinac Bridge, Cedar Campus is a special place not only for its beauty, but also because tens of thousands of students and families have met God and have seen their lives changed during their time here.

At Cedar Campus, accommodations range from rustic (camping sites & small cabins with a nearby wash house) to resort-style (with kitchen & bath facilities) and from single-family units to multi-room lodges. At the time of registration, participants are directed to a website to browse and choose a housing option. All meals are included in the costs and are eaten as a community in Willoughby Lodge. Recreation activities, cleaning fees, children’s activities, and more are also included in the Program & Housing costs. Wi-Fi is available on campus and at a local library within Cedarville.

Visit the Register page to learn more about conference pricing and lodging.

Share with Others

Please share about the conference with your colleagues who may be interested in attending in the future. Your personal invitation is one of the most effective ways to grow the network of faculty who hear and attend.

This year we launched a mentoring effort here at at OSU with the Christian Graduate Student Alliance. The Grad students are so glad you were willing to be involved in their lives in this way not only to help them along the academic journey but also to provide spiritual insights and wisdom “that comes down from Above.”

There is not a recording available for this event but the Emerging Scholars Blog has a posting providing highlights and links to related materials.

The final Lunch with a Higher Purpose for this academic year with Dr. Francis Su was co-sponsored by the Society of Christian Scholars on Thursday, April 4, 2019 at Noon (EST).

Dr. Su is uniquely qualified to address our topic, Living out Academic Calling while Serving God on Campus. Dr. Su will address the tensions and triumphs of a life of faith and define the meaning of success for the professor called by God to the academic life.

Brief Bio

Francis Edward Su is the Benediktsson-Karwa Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College, and past president of the Mathematical Association of America. He received his B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin and his Ph.D. from Harvard University. His research is in geometric combinatorics and applications to the social sciences and he has co-authored numerous papers with undergraduates.

The Wednesday morning book group called the Dead Theologians Society will be reading Eugene Peterson’s Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places. This is the first title in his spiritual theology series. “The single most important thing to understand in spiritual theology is that it is not about theology… it is a cultivated disposition to live theology.” Peterson’s great skills as a pastor an d as a writer combine to lead us to more deeply live our faith.

We meet at the Panera on Lane Avenue across from St. Johns’s Arena starting at 7:45 AM. We read roughly 30 pages a week for the weekly discussion. On January 16 Paul will provide a background on Eugene Peterson’s life and Bill will have a list of weekly readings. If you have questions contact Paul Post.

Come join us!

The Christian Graduate Student Alliance and the Fellowship of Christian Faculty and Staff  are presenting the Annual Christmas Carol Sing on Monday, December 10 at noon in the Ohio Staters, Inc. Founders Room on the second floor of the Ohio Union. We will gather for a time of fellowship and optional lunch (can be purchased on your own beforehand at the Union Market downstairs). The sing along with musicians from CGSA will start at 12:30pm.

Carol Sing RSVP

Welcome to The Lamp Post—a newsletter from InterVarsity’s Faculty Ministry. In November 2016, we relit what we believe is an important resource for faculty, trusting it will engage, inform, and encourage you.

As the name implies, The Lamp Post is about bringing light, helping us to grow in our understanding of God in the face of Christ (II Cor. 4:5-9). May you find encouragement from the articles linked below. Each issue features pieces we recommend from Graduate & Faculty Ministries, The Well, and the Emerging Scholars Network related to spiritual formation, integration of faith and work, and other relevant resources.

Please consider subscribing to The Lamp Post so that you will receive future editions of the Faculty Newsletter delivered directly to your Inbox.

I am grateful for your service to God on campus.

Sincerely,
Debra Block Clark
Interim Faculty Ministry Director

Link to past articles from The Lamp Post.

This book is available as gift for new faculty and for anyone who requests the book before October 31, while supplies last.

Contact Howard VanCleave to receive a copy.

From the cover

What has Christianity ever done for us? What value is there in seeking to preserve its influence today? In this book, Jonathan Hill answers these questions with some questions of his own. For instance, why do we seal wine bottles with cork? Where did musical notation come from? How did universities get their start? And why was the world’s first fully literate society not in Europe, Asia or North America? As Hill tells the story of the centuries-long entanglement between Christianity and Western culture, he shows the profound influence that Christianity has had–from what we drink to how we speak, from how we write to how we mark the seasons. Employing a rich, narrative style packed with events and people and illustrated throughout in full color, he describes the place of Christianity both in history and in the present day. What Has Christianity Ever Done for Us? is an enlightening and often humorous tour of culture and thought, the arts, the landscape, education, society, spirituality and ethics, and social justice. Here is a rich, entertaining and informative read.

Goodreads reviews

April 12, 2018 – Science, Religion, and Democracy

Presented by The Religion COMPAS Program and the Christian Graduate Student Alliance

3:30pm – 5:00pm
Thompson Library, 11th Floor

“What is religious belief, and what is its proper relationship to scientific inquiry?

Do science and religion represent incommensurable worldviews? If so, then how can people relate to one another as fellow citizens across that divide? If not, then how can we pursue a more constructive dialogue between religious and non-religious people? Should secularism be the “default” position in public debate about scientific issues?”

Speakers:

• Philip Kitcher (John Dewey Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University)
• David C. Lahti (Associate Professor of Biology, Director of the Master’s Program in Biology at Queens College, City University of New York)

There is also a breakfast seminar from 9 – 10:30am in Thompson Room 202.

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